Virtus the Indomitable

            “I have always been efficient and always on schedule. I need you to know this, so when tell you I have only failed once, you will understand the significance”

            In the ancient times great kings would have their warriors compete for glory and honor. The best warriors of the land would strive for victory in single combat. These fights were not always to the death, but they were still brutal. One combatant stood out for his sheer force of will and indomitable spirit. This warrior was named Virtus.

            Virtus fought for glory and honor like the other warriors but he also fought with a goal and determination to reach that goal. Virtus was from a small village, a village that was always plagued by bandits and raiders. The poor villagers did not have much to spare even before the bandits attacked. So Virtus grew up fighting, trying to protect his village. He felt responsible for the entire village even as a youth, so he would fight the raiders and even though he lost more than he won, he still fought on to show the human vultures of that land that his village was not easy prey. Virtus spent his life as the guardian of the village and as the years passed he grew up tall and strong. By the time he was a full-grown man he had as many scars on his body as he had muscles. The elder of the village told Virtus to leave and find a future for himself, as many of the villagers worried that protecting a few cattle and some grain would be his entire life. While everyone in the village felt blessed to have Virtus they knew it wouldn’t be right to let him shoulder the burden of the whole village by himself. So with a heavy heart the Elder of the village forced Virtus to leave. It wasn’t banishment but it was pretty close.

            It didn’t take long for Virtus to discover the capital city and its giant gladiator arena that hosted fights every day and drew in crowds from all across the land. Once Virtus heard about the fame and gold that could be earned in the arena he made a promise to himself that he would become the champion of the arena and return to his village with enough gold to hire soldiers and repair the homes and farms. Virtus had once again put the people of his village back onto his shoulders and was determined to carry them to prosperity. Virtus was an orphan and when no one would care for him, it was the village and the elder that took him in when he was a small boy wondering the desert by himself.

            Virtus fought with the ferocity of a lion during his time in the arena. As his number of victories grew he also accumulated nicknames and titles such as Indomitable Virtus and the Iron demon. He was called Iron demon because Iron was the strongest metal available and Virtus seemed un-killable like a demon would be.

            Virtus roared with each swing of his sword, he swung his weapon wildly to throw his opponent off balance then rammed hard with his shield. The force of the strike broke the ribs of the enemy gladiator and the poor soul collapsed on the ground. Virtus yelled a guttural roar as the crowd cheered. Most fights would end quickly with the result always the same. Virtus standing victorious as his opponent lay dead or injured in the dust and sand. When Virtus did fight a powerful enemy the fights would last much longer, sometimes going on for hours until Virtus opponent collapsed from exhaustion. Whenever Virtus lost his breath, sustained injuries or was bleeding all over the arena, his inner drive would push him to continue. He would never back down and he would never fall to anyone.

            Virtus was indomitable, fierce, strong willed and some believed he could not be killed, but he was a mortal despite what the arena patrons thought. Virtus died at the age of one hundred and twenty seven. He died while severing the king’s head from his shoulders. Virtus was mid-stroke with his sword, he had cleaved the King’s head straight off when a spear was driven through Virtus back, impaling him and going through his torso. This spear impaling was the final blow that killed him, but he had already sustained injuries from sword cuts and stab wounds and  burns from a flaming arrow that struck his shoulder.

            The castle was in chaos as Virtus let out his last breath and fell to the stone floor next to the headless king. Virtus spirit stood above his body and watched as the soldiers continued to fight against the rebels that were led by Virtus. The show was interrupted for Virtus when a black-cloaked figure glided into the room. The world of the living melted away and only darkness remained. Death stood before Virtus and lifted a skeletal hand. “You have brought so much death that even I am impressed with your skills, but your time is over. Come with me” Echoed the voice of death. Virtus gritted his teeth “I follow no one!” Virtus shouted and charged at the grim reaper.

            The spirit of Virtus grappled with the spirit of death itself. Virtus inner strength and will counted for just as much in the spirit world as it did in the mortal world. The Grim reaper was the master of death but struggled to keep Virtus at bay. The indomitable spirit fought Death for decades. Since time did not pass in the spirit would a decade of fighting would not have affected the mortal realm. The battle ended when Virtus wrestled Death’s scythe from the clutches of Death. Virtus struck the Grim reaper with its own weapon and send the spirit of Death to the afterlife. Death was banished from that realm in between the mortal world and the afterlife. The spirit world or Limbo was now the domain of Virtus.

            Death’s scythe vanished in a cloud of black smoke seconds after Death was thrown from this plane of existence. Death had no trouble navigating the afterlife and finding his way back to Limbo. When Death returned to the spirit world Virtus was gone, he had escaped back into the mortal realm and was reborn into the world as a baby of a merchant’s wife.

            Virtus lived as a son of a merchant unaware of his past life as a gladiator or his battle with Death. Virtus didn’t even know his original name and when he was born back into the world he was given the name William Merchant. William grew into a strapping young man who had more strength and determination than anyone else in town. William had a nice childhood and had no reason to have an unshakable will and the urge to fulfill his goals, but he had the spirit of Virtus and while he had no memory of his former life, his past was permanently marked on his soul and every incarnation of Virtus would have the same Indomitable will as the original Virtus. Some incarnations were more violent while others were more peaceful

            William Merchant grew up to be a successful sailor and merchant and when his ship was taken by the king for unpaid taxes, William became a pirate who targeted the kings royal ships and any merchant who vowed loyalty to the king. William wasn’t just any pirate, he became the most feared and successful pirate who had ever lived. He eventually died when he ship in a head on collision with the King’s military flagship. William had left his entire crew back at town and sailed the ship himself with hull full of gunpowder and dynamite. When William’s ship collided with the King’s flagship the gunpowder was ignited torches lit directly above the gunpowder barrels. The explosion killed the top general and his best men as well as destroyed the front half of the flagship.

            Virtus’ spirit evaded the Grim Reapers grasp every time one of his incarnations died. Virtus spirit lived on through dozens of humans over the ages.

“It was the only time I ever failed. Virtus was the only soul I never collected” Explained Death. The grim reaper stood looming over a fourteen-year-old boy, Death’s voice boomed and echoed through the air. “ Why are you telling me this?” John Pharris the boy who survived the grave wagon attack and the only human who could walk freely through the haunted forest. “I am telling you this because Virtus’ spirit fuels the Grave Wagon, and I cannot stop it” Explained Death. John’s eyes went wide and he felt like he had been kicked in the stomach, he took a step backward and fell backward landing on his butt. The ground was cold and hard, the dark green grass prickled at him through his pants. Death over John, they both were in the deepest and darkest part of the Haunted forest, a second of the forest that was reserved for Death and no mortal or monster had ever entered. “If you can’t beat him, how am I supposed to beat him? How is anyone supposed to beat him?” Asked John is disbelief.

            Death crouched down and sat on a tree stump. “You need to face the Indomitable will with your own equally unwavering spirit. Use the magic that the Grave Wagon gave you” Death explained.

            John looked up at Death “where does this magic come from?” He asked as he touched the shadowy side of his face. “I’ll tell you but it will be another long story” Death replied.

Note: Thanks for reading!! I hope to finish my Halloween series by Halloween night. I hope everyone is enjoying the grave wagon stories. I also plan to write stand alone stories about Virtus life and William Merchants life, as I thought they were really interesting after I wrote them but had to gloss over their lives to tell the larger story.